Space Policy最新文献

Sustainability theory building through European space policy – the analysis of sustainable development in the European space sector leading to the concept of political sustainability 通过欧洲空间政策建立可持续性理论-分析欧洲空间部门的可持续发展，从而产生政治可持续性概念

IF 1.9 4区社会学 Q2 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Space Policy

Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-06 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101721

Thomas Hoerber

引用次数: 0

Planetary defense in the 21st century: Revitalizing policy and international collaboration 21世纪的地球防御：振兴政策和国际合作

IF 1.9 4区社会学 Q2 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Space Policy

Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-11 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101726

Adam P. Wilmer , Robert A. Bettinger , Marcus J. Holzinger

Mounting awareness of the catastrophic potential of Near-Earth Object (NEO) impacts has intensified the call for a unified, internationally recognized planetary defense framework to protect both Earth and the future of human space activity. This study first provides a mapping of current international and national planetary defense agencies and doctrine. The focus is then placed in examining these existing international laws, policies, and governance related to planetary defense operations, specifically with respect to NEO detection and tracking (NEO D&T) and NEO mitigation. The discussion pays particular attention to the ambiguities in the law, the limitations of current behavioral norms, and the tense geopolitical situations that can complicate the global effectiveness of planetary defense. Overall, this study emphasizes the underdevelopment and ambiguities in current space law and policy with respect to planetary defense, highlighting the need for further development and clarification of existing norms. The complexities and multi-national scope of accomplishing effective planetary defense are explained in detail to suggest and ultimately conclude that international collaboration is required to effectively perform planetary defense. This study contributes to the limited research on planetary defense policy by offering recommendations for legal frameworks and approaches to enhancing collaboration among space actors.

人们日益认识到近地天体撞击可能造成的灾难性后果，因此更强烈地呼吁建立一个统一的、国际公认的行星防御框架，以保护地球和人类空间活动的未来。这项研究首先提供了当前国际和国家行星防御机构和学说的地图。然后，重点审查与行星防御行动有关的现有国际法律、政策和治理，特别是与近地天体探测和跟踪（NEO D&；T）和NEO缓解有关的法律、政策和治理。讨论特别关注法律的模糊性，当前行为规范的局限性，以及紧张的地缘政治局势，这些局势可能使行星防御的全球有效性复杂化。总的来说，这项研究强调了目前关于行星防御的空间法律和政策的不发达和含糊不清，强调需要进一步发展和澄清现有规范。详细解释了实现有效行星防御的复杂性和多国范围，建议并最终得出结论，有效执行行星防御需要国际合作。本研究为加强空间行为体之间合作的法律框架和方法提出建议，有助于对有限的行星防御政策研究。

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引用次数: 0

Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspective 中等强国的空间政策与工业发展：比较视角下的马来西亚与土耳其

IF 1.9 4区社会学 Q2 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Space Policy

Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-09-30 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101723

Fulya Apaydin

In recent years, several countries from Argentina to Turkey to Malaysia have significantly increased their investments in national space agencies as part of their industrial development program. Smaller and more efficient satellite designs, coupled with the availability of commercial off-the-shelf components, have reduced the barriers to entry for countries with limited resources and empowered new players to embark on space missions that were once deemed prohibitively expensive. This shift represents a critical change in space exploration and utilization, as space technology has become integral to communication, scientific research, and national security. At the same time, the motivations that inform policymaking vary depending on the political priorities of the governments across these regions. Building on the divergent experiences of two middle powers classified in the upper-middle income group—Turkey and Malaysia—this paper problematizes how the political landscape influences the priorities assigned to space programs in countries that are integrated into critical markets controlled by a global hegemon on unequal terms. In these contexts, the official policy to expand the informational capacity of the state beyond the national borders was shaped by two distinct dynamics. In Turkey, frequent economic crises and security concerns have influenced the direction of the country's space program with a greater focus on military applications rather than neo-developmental goals. By contrast, in Malaysia, the establishment of the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) in 2002 emerged out of a concern for utilizing space technology for socio-economic development around Malaysian industrial policy that prioritized high-value-added exports for growth.

近年来，从阿根廷到土耳其再到马来西亚的几个国家都大大增加了对国家空间机构的投资，作为其工业发展计划的一部分。更小、更高效的卫星设计，加上商业现成组件的可用性，降低了资源有限的国家的进入门槛，并使新的参与者能够开始曾经被认为过于昂贵的太空任务。随着空间技术成为通信、科学研究和国家安全不可或缺的一部分，这一转变代表着空间探索和利用领域的重大变化。与此同时，根据这些地区政府的政治优先事项，为决策提供信息的动机各不相同。本文以土耳其和马来西亚这两个中高收入国家的不同经历为基础，提出了政治格局如何影响这些国家在不平等条件下融入由全球霸权控制的关键市场的空间项目优先级的问题。在这些背景下，官方扩大国家超越国界的信息能力的政策是由两种截然不同的动力形成的。在土耳其，频繁的经济危机和安全问题影响了该国空间方案的方向，使其更加注重军事应用，而不是新的发展目标。相比之下，在马来西亚，2002年成立的马来西亚航天局（MYSA）是出于对利用空间技术促进社会经济发展的关注，围绕马来西亚优先考虑高附加值出口以促进增长的工业政策。

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Towards a generalized framework for planetary communication 建立一个通用的行星通信框架

IF 1.9 4区社会学 Q2 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Space Policy

Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-07-26 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101711

Anamaria Berea , Karen S. Lewis , Bettina Beinhoff , Arik Kershenbaum , Eng Sengsavang , Nick Searra

引用次数: 0

Governing space traffic: bureaucracy, politics, and orbital debris 管理太空交通：官僚主义、政治和轨道碎片

IF 1.9 4区社会学 Q2 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Space Policy

Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-18 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101725

W. Henry Lambright

It has become increasingly apparent that the United States and the world have moved into a second space age with far more countries and industries active in Earth orbit. The result has been a growing problem of space traffic management and orbital debris (STM/OD), a leading edge of space sustainability. The governmental response has been slow and uneven, creating a gap between problem and solutions. To the extent there has been any significant policy response in the U.S., it has been at the bureaucratic (i.e., agency) level of government. Certain agencies have extended their existing missions to cope with an issue of STM/OD new to them. This article examines the responses of NASA, the Department of Defense, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Aviation Administration, and Department of Commerce. The result has been some progress in various aspects of policy, such as research, warning, active debris removal, and regulation, but also continuing uncertainty over who does what, why, and how to cope with this worsening problem. The history of this bureaucratic response is traced and analyzed to explain how policy with respect to STM/OD has gotten to its present point, what factors have shaped it, and possible decision-making improvements.

越来越明显的是，随着更多的国家和行业活跃在地球轨道上，美国和世界已经进入了第二个太空时代。其结果是日益严重的空间交通管理和轨道碎片（STM/OD）问题，这是空间可持续性的前沿。政府的反应缓慢而不平衡，造成了问题和解决方案之间的差距。在某种程度上，美国有任何重大的政策反应，它是在政府的官僚（即机构）层面。某些机构已延长其现有任务，以处理对它们来说是新的STM/OD问题。本文考察了NASA、国防部、联邦通信委员会、联邦航空管理局和商务部的回应。其结果是在政策的各个方面取得了一些进展，例如研究、警告、主动清除碎片和监管，但对于谁做什么、为什么做以及如何应对这一日益恶化的问题，仍然存在不确定性。本文追溯和分析了这种官僚反应的历史，以解释有关STM/OD的政策是如何发展到现在的地步的，是什么因素形成了它，以及可能的决策改进。

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引用次数: 0

Who speaks for extraterrestrial ecosystems?: Why ET should have standing 谁为外星生态系统说话？为什么外星人应该有地位

IF 1.9 4区社会学 Q2 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Space Policy

Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-09-19 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101722

Emma Johanna Puranen , John Donovan , Marjan Ajevski

Christopher Stone's pioneering 1972 paper “Should Trees Have Standing?” proposed legal rights and standing for the environment under a guardianship model. In the decades since, the growing Rights of Nature movement has demonstrated the prescience of Stone's ideas. As humanity ventures into a new era of growing astrobiological research, and with increasing interest in commercial space development, the time is right to reimagine legal frameworks to acknowledge and safeguard the rights of extraterrestrial ecosystems. Building on Stone's argument, we propose that the legal system should recognise the interests of extraterrestrial life and its environments in line with his guardianship model. Several ways in which current law can be made to accommodate such recognition are suggested, for example through existing doctrines of international environmental law, including the ecosystems approach used in the Convention on Biodiversity. We examine the efficacy of the Rights of Nature movement and its role in promoting legal guardianship models to protect nature's interests, and call for engagement of environmental groups with key space governance bodies such as the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) or the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). We conclude that shifting the focus of current law and governance from an anthropocentric to an ecocentric perspective will allow non-human interests to gain voice in decision making, expanding Stone's circle of rights beyond Earth.

克里斯托弗·斯通（Christopher Stone）在1972年发表的开创性论文《树木应该站立吗？》提出了在监护模式下保护环境的法律权利和立场。在此后的几十年里，日益壮大的自然权利运动证明了斯通的先见之明。随着人类冒险进入一个天体生物学研究不断增长的新时代，以及对商业空间开发的兴趣日益浓厚，现在是重新构想法律框架以承认和保护地外生态系统权利的时候了。基于斯通的论点，我们建议法律体系应该根据他的监护模式，承认外星生命及其环境的利益。有人提出了使现行法律适应这种承认的几种方法，例如通过现有的国际环境法理论，包括《生物多样性公约》中使用的生态系统方法。我们考察了自然权利运动的有效性及其在促进法律监护模式以保护自然利益方面的作用，并呼吁环保团体与联合国和平利用外层空间委员会（UNCOPUOS）或空间研究委员会（COSPAR）等关键空间治理机构合作。我们的结论是，将现行法律和治理的重点从人类中心主义转向生态中心主义，将使非人类利益在决策中获得发言权，从而将斯通的权利范围扩大到地球之外。

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引用次数: 0

The “Space Industry Strategic Plan 2030” and the future of Malaysia’s space sector: A review essay “2030年空间工业战略计划”与马来西亚空间部门的未来：一篇评论文章

IF 1.9 4区社会学 Q2 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Space Policy

Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-09-19 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101714

Lai Leng Woo, Shahrizal Ide Moslin

Malaysia’s space industry stands at a pivotal juncture as the nation seeks to reassert its role in the global space economy. This paper examines the evolution of Malaysia’s space sector, beginning with the launch of MEASAT-1 in 1996, and analyses its current performance, institutional landscape, and industry ecosystem. Despite the country making early progress with the launch of MEASAT-1 in 1996, development in the space sector has since slowed, especially in the upstream segment. This study adopts a qualitative methodology that incorporates stakeholder analysis, policy review, comparative benchmarking, and SWOT analysis to identify challenges, risks, and opportunities for Malaysia to develop an ecosystem that fosters technology innovation and entrepreneurship. Key limitations include the absence of continuity in space programs, a clear strategic roadmap, mechanisms for technology transfer, budgetary constraints, and insufficient skilled talent. To address these gaps, the Space Industry Strategic Plan 2030 (SISP2030) has been developed to guide the sector’s revitalisation. Anchored on four core pillars — Technology, Funding & Investment, Human Capital Development and Governance & Institutional Framework — SISP2030 presents a comprehensive roadmap for building a robust, competitive, and sustainable space industry. Some challenges in implementing the policy, such as the urgent need for strategic investment, strong political will, and sustained collaboration between government, academia, and industry, were also discussed. The paper concludes with a recommendation to establish strong policy implementation mechanisms to ensure the success of the strategy, which will position Malaysia as a significant player in the space domain by 2030.

马来西亚的航天工业正处于关键时刻，该国正寻求重新确立其在全球航天经济中的作用。本文考察了马来西亚空间部门的演变，从1996年发射MEASAT-1开始，并分析了其目前的表现、制度格局和行业生态系统。尽管该国在1996年发射了MEASAT-1取得了早期进展，但空间部门的发展，特别是上游部分的发展已经放缓。本研究采用定性方法，结合利益相关者分析、政策审查、比较基准和SWOT分析，以确定马来西亚发展促进技术创新和创业的生态系统的挑战、风险和机遇。主要限制包括空间计划缺乏连续性、明确的战略路线图、技术转让机制、预算限制和熟练人才不足。为了解决这些差距，制定了《2030年航天工业战略计划》（SISP2030），以指导该部门的振兴。以技术、资金与投资、人力资本开发和治理与制度框架这四大核心支柱为基础，《太空规划2030》提出了建设强大、有竞争力和可持续发展的航天产业的全面路线图。会议还讨论了实施该政策所面临的一些挑战，如迫切需要战略投资、强烈的政治意愿以及政府、学术界和工业界之间的持续合作。该文件最后建议建立强有力的政策实施机制，以确保该战略的成功，这将使马来西亚在2030年之前成为空间领域的重要参与者。

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引用次数: 0

Space science & the space economy 空间科学和空间经济

IF 1.9 4区社会学 Q2 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Space Policy

Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-08-18 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101713

Fabrizio Fiore , Martin Elvis

Will it be possible in the future to realize large, complex space missions dedicated to basic science like HST, Chandra and JWST? Or will their cost be too great? Today’s space scene is completely different from that of even five years ago, and certainly from that of the time when HST, Chandra and JWST were conceived and built. Space-related investments have grown exponentially in recent years, with a monetary investment exceeding half a trillion dollars per year since 2023. This boom is greatly aided by the rise of the so-called ‘new space’ economy driven by private commercial funding, which for the first time last year surpassed public investments in space. The establishment of a market logic to space activities results in more competition and a resulting dramatic cost and schedule reduction. Can space science take advantage of the benefits of the new space economy to reduce cost and development time and at the same time succeed in producing powerful missions in basic science? The prospects for Europe and the United States are considered here. We argue that this goal would be achievable if the scientific community could take advantage of the three pillars underlying the innovation of the new space economy: (1) technology innovation proceeding through both incremental innovation and disruptive innovation, (2) business innovation, through vertical integration, scale production, and service-oriented business model, and (3) cultural innovation, through openness to risk and iterative development.

未来是否有可能实现大型、复杂的太空任务，致力于像HST、钱德拉和JWST这样的基础科学？或者他们的代价会不会太大？今天的太空景象与五年前完全不同，当然也与HST、钱德拉和JWST构想和建造的时候完全不同。近年来，与太空相关的投资呈指数级增长，自2023年以来，每年的货币投资超过5000亿美元。这种繁荣在很大程度上得益于私人商业资金推动的所谓“新太空”经济的兴起。去年，私人商业资金首次超过了公共太空投资。建立空间活动的市场逻辑导致了更多的竞争，并因此大大减少了成本和时间表。空间科学能否利用新的空间经济的好处来减少成本和开发时间，同时成功地在基础科学方面产生强大的任务？这里考虑了欧洲和美国的前景。我们认为，如果科学界能够利用新空间经济创新的三大支柱：(1)通过渐进式创新和破坏性创新进行的技术创新，(2)通过垂直整合、规模生产和服务型商业模式进行的业务创新，以及(3)通过风险开放和迭代开发进行的文化创新，那么这一目标就可以实现。

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引用次数: 0

Israel’s public policy on space debris management: Between technological capacity and political will 以色列空间碎片管理公共政策：在技术能力和政治意愿之间

IF 1.9 4区社会学 Q2 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Space Policy

Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-22 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101729

Erez Cohen

Environmental awareness has grown in recent decades, focusing on green energy, waste reduction, and pollution control. Yet, environmental policy must also extend to outer space, where space debris including defunct satellites, rocket parts, and fragments - poses a serious threat to satellites, space missions, and orbital sustainability. Addressing this growing challenge requires coordinated international policy efforts. Israel, despite being a small country, has developed a highly advanced space program that contributes to orbital debris through frequent satellite launches. Originally rooted in national security needs, Israel's space program has expanded into commercial and academic sectors, fostering international cooperation. However, each launch leaves debris behind. Israel's unique westward launch trajectory, designed for regional security, results in longer orbital persistence of debris. The absence of deorbiting systems on many satellites, coupled with occasional malfunctions, further contributes to the problem. This study examines Israel's public policy on space debris management and compares it to international practices in countries such as the United States, Japan, and the European Union. Relying on official documents from space agencies including NASA, the UN, and the Israel Space Agency, the analysis identifies a gap between Israel's technological capabilities and its limited regulatory approach. The findings suggest that while Israel excels technologically, it lacks a comprehensive regulatory framework for debris mitigation. The study recommends adopting stricter national regulations, advancing cleanup technologies, and enhancing international collaboration efforts crucial to ensuring the long-term sustainability of Israel's space activities and its contribution to global space governance.

近几十年来，环保意识不断增强，关注绿色能源、减少废物和控制污染。然而，环境政策也必须延伸到外层空间，在那里，空间碎片，包括报废的卫星、火箭部件和碎片，对卫星、空间任务和轨道的可持续性构成严重威胁。应对这一日益严峻的挑战需要协调一致的国际政策努力。以色列尽管是一个小国，却发展了一项高度先进的太空计划，通过频繁的卫星发射产生了轨道碎片。以色列的太空计划最初是出于国家安全需要，现已扩展到商业和学术领域，促进了国际合作。然而，每次发射都会留下碎片。以色列为地区安全而设计的独特的向西发射轨迹导致碎片在轨道上停留的时间更长。许多卫星没有脱离轨道系统，加上偶尔出现故障，进一步加剧了这个问题。本研究考察了以色列在空间碎片管理方面的公共政策，并将其与美国、日本和欧盟等国家的国际做法进行了比较。根据美国国家航空航天局、联合国和以色列航天局等航天机构的官方文件，该分析确定了以色列的技术能力与其有限的监管方法之间的差距。调查结果表明，虽然以色列在技术上领先，但它缺乏一个全面的碎片减缓管理框架。该研究建议采用更严格的国家法规，推进清理技术，并加强国际合作努力，这对确保以色列空间活动的长期可持续性及其对全球空间治理的贡献至关重要。

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引用次数: 0

Addressing gaps in cislunar orbital debris mitigation governance frameworks via norms of behavior 通过制定行为准则，解决减缓地月轨道碎片治理框架中的差距

IF 1.9 4区社会学 Q2 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Space Policy

Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101724

Arjun Chhabra , Amlan Sinha , Brian Weeden , Ryne Beeson

With an expected increase in cislunar space activity over the coming years, the sustainable growth and maintenance of the cislunar orbital environment will require a coordinated focus towards orbital debris mitigation. However, the additional complexities of debris behavior and spacecraft operations under cislunar dynamics are not reflected in the existing space governance landscape. This paper analyzes the applicability of key international treaties and United States national policies towards the mitigation of orbital debris in the cislunar domain, and proposes leveraging the culture of implicit best practices in the space sector to address major governance gaps.

Our work delineates key gaps in coverage of the existing space governance framework, including the necessity of more specific technical standards for cislunar missions, changes to mission authorization regimes, and post-launch supervisory mechanisms. We find that flexible policy structures which can be quickly implemented and adapted to the changing cislunar environment are likely to be well-suited to addressing these gaps. We propose the use of norms of behavior, which are a form of self-governance that exist in many different industries and sectors, to begin addressing policy gaps implicitly before a surge of cislunar growth, with formal codification to follow. The role of debris risk considerations during the mission design process is highlighted, and the risks from more complex activities such as proximity operations are discussed. Pathways to minimize deviance from normalized behavior via incentive and deterrence strategies are additionally explored.

随着未来几年地月空间活动的预期增加，地月轨道环境的可持续增长和维护将需要协调一致地侧重于减缓轨道碎片。然而，碎片行为和航天器运行在地月动力学下的额外复杂性并未反映在现有的空间治理格局中。本文分析了主要国际条约和美国国家政策在减缓地月领域轨道碎片方面的适用性，并建议利用空间部门隐含最佳做法的文化来解决主要的治理差距。我们的工作描述了现有空间治理框架覆盖面方面的主要差距，包括为地月任务制定更具体的技术标准的必要性、任务授权制度的变化以及发射后监督机制。我们发现，能够迅速实施并适应不断变化的地月环境的灵活政策结构很可能非常适合解决这些差距。我们建议使用行为规范，这是一种存在于许多不同行业和部门的自我治理形式，在顺月增长激增之前开始含蓄地解决政策差距，随后正式编纂。强调了任务设计过程中碎片风险考虑因素的作用，并讨论了诸如近距离作业等更复杂活动的风险。此外，还探讨了通过激励和威慑策略将偏离正常行为的行为最小化的途径。

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引用次数: 0